A New Adventure
by snw803
Summary: It had been 15 years since the rebellion against the capital. Katniss and Peeta are married, and the next chapter in their lives is about to begin. How will Katniss cope with the big news? Spoiler alert to those of you who did not read ALL the Hunger Game books. Post Mockingjay but before epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After hunting all morning, I lay on the couch drinking a cup of steaming tea. Peeta won't be home until five. Great. I have 4 hours to sit and do nothing. So I decide to go upstairs and start to clean the house because spring is around the corner.

I start with my nightstand. In the top draw, I notice a little calendar. I pick it up and start flipping through it to today's day, when I realize . . . I'm late. I couldn't believe my eyes so I count the days again and again until I come to the conclusion of being ten days late. I drop the book at the thought that I could even possibly be pregnant. I run downstairs and pick up the phone. I dial the Backer's number and get Chad, Peeta's employee.

"Katniss, is that you?" Chad asks.

"Yeah, is Peeta there? I really need to talk to him." I say. There is a long pause and a lot of shuffling on the other end of the phone when I hear his voice.

"Katniss, is everything okay?" Peeta says in his comforting voice with a little nervous hint to it. At the sound of his voice I brake down crying.

"P-P-Peeta," I say in between sobs, " C-Can you come ho- home?"

"I will be there in 15 minutes," Peeta says as the phone clicks off. I make my way back upstairs into our bed. I put my face in the pillows and curl my body up to my chest. The sobs take over my body and I begin to shake. How can this be happening to me? We were so carful. Lost in my thoughts, I hear the door click open and Peeta is calling my name. I can't answer because another round of sobs breaks my voice. I don't hear Peeta come up the stairs, but I feel his strong hands rubbing my back.

"Katniss," He says worried. He picks me up so he is cradling me in his arms. This is the only place I feel safe. I lean my head against his muscular body and cry harder. When I can't cry anymore, I look up to see his blue eyes looking at me. "What's wrong?" he asks.

After a long pause, I say, "I missed my . . . period."

His blue eyes stare into mine and we sit there for another minute before he says, "You have to take a test." My eyes start to leak with tears that drip down my already wet cheeks. "It will be okay, I promise," he says with hope and he pulls me closer to him and kisses my forehead and whispers, I love you.

He helps me up and I walk into the bathroom and wash my face, trying to get it back to my normal pale color, not bright red with puffy eyes.

Peeta waits for me downstairs with my jacket. I walk to him and he takes my hand and leads me out of the door. When we walk out of the Victor's Village, Peeta squeezes my hand.

We walk closer to the drug store, and Peeta take out two pairs of sunglasses, just as we are approaching the store. I give Peeta a little smile as I slip it on my eyes. The store was warm compared to the cool March air. Peeta places his hand on my back leading me to the aisle with the pregnancy tests, knowing that I needed his support to even face what the aisle holds.

When we are standing in front of the pregnancy tests, Peeta waits a minute for me to respond, but when I don't, he reaches out to grab a box. He picks two different brands, and turns to face me with a smile. I give a weak smile back but he doesn't buy it. He pulls me into a hug and grabs my hand to lead us to the cash register. Peeta places the two boxes on the counter and makes small talk with the cashier lady. I keep my head down and stare at my feet. I let my mind wonder to what we are going to have for dinner and anything else that will keep my mind off about maybe being pregnant. I feel a slight tug on my arm and start to walk after Peeta.

When I am pulled back into reality, we are entering the Victor's Village. It must have been fifteen minutes since we left the drug store and now were home. Peeta opens the door and we take off our jackets. I freeze at the bottom of the stairs not wanting to continue up. Peeta rubs my back and gives me a gentle push up.

. . . .

I'm pacing around the bathroom trying to distract myself.

"Katniss, calm down it's fine." Peeta reassures me, as he sat on the edge of the bathtub. I stopped pacing and hovered by the sink, and start tapping my foot.

"I hate waiting." I complained, feeling my stomach twist and turn at the anticipation.

"I know, I know. Sit down; it's going to be okay. I promise. Whatever happens I'm hear. " Peeta's voice was so soothing that I couldn't help but follow his directions. I closed the lid of the toilet and sat down. I placed my forehead in my hands, rested elbows on my knees.

_Breath, just breath_. I told myself.

Peeta was right, whatever the outcome is, it will be fine because I have Peeta. I never thought that this would be happening to me. Not now, not ever. The thought of our future made my head spin, and the past made my head hurt. I can only think about what is happening to me right now, and the thought of that made me sick to my stomach.

"How long?" I asked, my voice cracking a little at the end due to how nerves I am. Peeta looked so calm and collected. He has always wanted a child so the thought of me possibly being pregnant made him ecstatic. But in this moment maybe he is scared like I am, but covered it up well.

"Give it another thirty seconds or so, just to make sure." He replied, his sweet blue eyes locked on mine, trying to help make it easier. I tried to turn off the countdown in my head, knowing he was keeping. I wasn't entirely sure how I would react to the news of being pregnant, but I know I would be relieved to find out I wasn't pregnant.

I stared down at my fingers, unable to look at Peeta.

"Fifteen more seconds," he said and lightly rubbed my knee, knowing I was too nervous for any other form of affection.

My heart sped up, adrenaline coursed around me. These were the reactions I'd had in the games. Why was my body producing the same ones to keep me alive, here? It felt out of place, wrong. My eyes shot up to Peeta's as I realized it was time. He nodded to confirm.

I took a huge gulp of air in, suddenly afraid I wouldn't be able to breathe properly after seeing the tiny mark, or lack of, on the small test. I reached out for the upside down pregnancy test, and held it in my hand.

Just as I was about to flip it over, Peeta reached out for my other hand and squeezed it while he said, "Whatever happens, I love you." On the last word his lips curved up into a smile. I knew he'd imagined this scenario a thousand times over in his head. If I could turn back the clock to fifteen years ago and imagine this scenario for myself I wouldn't have believed my eyes that I was the girl standing next to him in our bathroom holding a pregnancy test.

I looked down to the pregnancy test in my hand, and noticed my hands trembling. Shakily, I pulled it up closer to my eyes and turned it over, not wanting to misread it.

"What does it say?" He asked, almost impatient with excitement.

It felt like a lifetime before I remembered to breathe again. Blood rushed to my head and my legs felt like jelly.

"It says . . ." my voice hoarse, "I'm . . . pregnant." Had I read it wrong? No I haven't because when I picked up the other test it said the same thing, only it did not have a little pink plus, it had a smiley face and the word "pregnant." I reached my hand up to my face in shock but was surprised to find it wet. I look up to face Peeta, and saw his sea blue eyes glistening under his own tears. I put my hand out showing him both the test. He pulls me into a hug and we stand there without another word for a few more minutes.

He pulls away, and stutters, "We're . . . having a baby!" and with that, his awaiting smile breaking free onto his face.

I nodded my head, feeling more tears leak down my face. "We're having a baby." I confirmed. Peeta's arms enclosed around my waist again, but this time, he picks me up and spins me around. I locked my hands around his neck and cried into his shoulder. I couldn't believe that a baby was growing in me right now. A piece of Peeta, and a piece of me. Peeta finally pulled away from me, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. I laughed a little at his reaction, but as he placed me on the ground, I hadn't realized I was dizzy until; I swayed slightly on the spot from all the twirling. Reaching out for the sink to regain my balance, I felt Peeta's hand grab my arm, steadying me.

"Whoa, careful!" He warned me playfully and I could hear the sheer happiness in his voice. He gently led me into the bedroom and pulled me in for a kiss. I could feel him smiling as our lips met each other passionately. I brushed my fingers through his soft hair, wanting to hold onto him forever.

I fell onto the bed with Peeta falling alongside me. We lay side by side, our limbs interlinked with each other's. Peeta dotted a trail of light kisses down my neck and stopped, as he was at my stomach. He placed both of his hands gingerly on the side of my stomach and continued with more kisses, right over the spot where our baby was.

"I love you so much already, and you're probably not even the size of a single grain of wheat." He said, cooing to my belly. I laughed, as I took in how bizarre yet wonderful this was. "And I love your mommy, very much too." Peeta said softly, holding his hand out to help me sit up with him.

I clutched my hand instinctively to where he just kissed. I never would have thought I would feel a sudden sense of belonging, that this baby is ours. My feelings of unfamiliarity with my surroundings dissipated, and I'm here, living in this moment. All those long hard, terrible months and years of agony both of us had been through completely evaporated. My mind was wiped clean, and I felt like my life should start right now, this minute, fresh. If I could bottle this feeling and pass it on, it would be the perfect remedy for anything. I couldn't even take in what was happening right now because I was content. I went over the facts in my head, trying to make sure this was not a dream or a shiny memory that President Snow was going to distort.

_My name is Katniss Everdeen. I survived two hunger games. I was the mockingjay in the rebellion. I killed President Coin. President Snow is dead. I married Peeta. I am pregnant._ I told myself over and over.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, and sat straight up in bed. What had awoken me so quickly? That's when I felt it again; the uneasiness of my stomach. I put my hand to my forehead and felt it drenched in sweat. The room spun in the darkness for a minute before I bolted towards the bathroom, making it just in time to crouched over the toilet, vomiting violently. The relief from the nausea was instant, but I carried on being sick. It wasn't until I felt a cool hand on my back that I realized I must have woken Peeta up. He sat down next to me on the tiles.

"Katniss?" He asked concerned, rubbing small circles on my upper back but for some reason I didn't want to be touched. I shrugged out of it as I sat up from the toilet, leaning against the wall to face him.

"Go away," I whispered in a hoarse voice. I hated when Peeta saw me like this. His eyes, though sleepy, looked full of worry. His blond hair was ruffled, and he wore a t-shirt and black shorts. I looked up at him, wiping my mouth with a bit of toilet paper. "Are you okay?" He asked ignoring my request for him to leave. For a minute I thought of snapping something back but then realized it was just the lack of sleep and feeling sick that would make me say something sarcastic. I decided against it and nodded my head a little; he was just trying to help. I could feel my eyes watering from the force of being sick.

"Guess its just morning sickness." I murmured, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. Trying to stand up to get to the sink and wash it out with water, I felt the motion unsettle my stomach again. Peeta's hands went out to help me as I leaned back over the toilet, heaving. His fingers gently held back my hair to keep it out of my face; though this time he refrained from stroking my back, guessing I wanted to be left alone. When it was over he flushed the toilet, and grabbed a glass from the bedroom to fill it with water and let me drink. I started to chug it down appreciatively, feeling miles better now it was out of my system. He sat closer to me this time, against the wall too, and grabbed the glass out of my hand.

"Sip it Katniss. You don't want to get sick again." Peeta said and carefully handed it back to me. I did as he told me to, even though I really did feel okay. He watched me and put it on the side when I was finished. My hands were pressed to the floor either side of me; longing for the coldness of the hard tiles against my flushed body. I felt bad for waking him up. He was still going through a patch of nightmares at the moment and was frequently awake in the night, even if he thought I didn't hear him stir. Peeta put his hand on my knee and I instinctively leaned into him, placing my head on his muscular shoulder. His hand moved to circle around me, knowing now it was okay to touch me. I cradled into him more, suddenly wanting to be as close as I could to him, to let him protect me. We sat there for a little while. He rested his head on the top of mine and occasionally he bent down to press his lips to my forehead. I had a feeling he was just trying to do regular checks of my temperature. He held me there making no move to let go of me, or me let go of him. His arms tightened around me affectionately, his way of telling me it would all be okay without any words.

"I'm sorry Katniss. I wish I could do more to help you." He muttered, looking off to the other side of the bathroom. His eyes looked wide-awake now. I could feel mine already beginning to close again, tiredness taking over.

"It's fine." I said, rubbing a hand on his chest. "Nothing I can't handle." He laughed a little at this.

"True."

"Hopefully this isn't a regular thing." I added, trying to make him feel better. One way or another, I knew whatever I did, I was causing him pain when I suffered myself. I had to make light of this situation, to help Peeta.

"Hopefully," He replied, placing his hand on my stomach and lowered his head slightly to it. "Why are you making your mother sick?" He whispered, while tracing his finger in delicate patterns on it. Despite his weary tone, I could tell that behind it, was this undying love for our unborn child. A love I did not know could exist until three days ago when we found out that I was pregnant.

"Sorry for waking you Peeta." I murmured, unsure whether or not I was still awake. My eyes were heavily now, and I could still feel the warmth of Peeta's hand radiating through my thin shirt to my stomach.

"Don't be sorry. I would rather be here with you then sleeping," he said in a soft voice.

After another minute, I felt a sudden rush of air and I was no longer pressed against the cold floor. I gathered that Peeta must be carrying me back to the bedroom, but I was long gone before my head could even hit the pillow.

. . . .

It was a few hours later that I woke up again. This time it was naturally, and more peaceful. I sighed contentedly as I stretched my arms out. They immediately found what I was looking for . . . Peeta. He rolled over to face me, clearly already awake himself.

"Morning." He said before moving closer to me and leaning in for a kiss. I remembered what had happened last night and held out a hand to stop him, taking him off guard. He looked at me questioningly. Running my tongue around my teeth, I could feel the horrible aftertaste still. I got out of bed and almost fell. Thank goodness Peeta was there to catch me just as I was about to fall.

"Whoo," I said as I planted my feet in the ground to steady myself.

"You okay?" Peeta questioned.

"Yeah, I must have stood up to quickly," I said as I headed to bathroom. "You don't want to kiss me with this breath." Quickly running a toothbrush around my mouth.

Considering my stomach for a moment, I decided that it was back to normal for now. It had come and gone so sporadically. I climbed back into bed with Peeta, his arm already out to allow him to hold me. I gratefully obliged and leant my head against his chest, listening to his rhythmical heartbeat. He pulled the covers back up around me, and hugged me close.

"Did you get back to sleep okay last night?" I asked him, knowing he would probably lie anyway.

"Yeah. I stayed awake for a while watching you, to make sure you were alright and that you weren't going to have another repeat." He whispered into my hair, his hot breath tickling my scalp.

I rolled my eyes. "Peeta I'm fine, I'm not the first pregnant woman in the world." I said flippantly, but burrowed closer to him, if that were possible, to let him know that I wasn't actually angry. I felt him breathe a laugh.

I pulled my head up to look at his face. "What?" I asked.

He smiled wider and shook his head. "Nothing. I just . . . I love hearing you say that. It's still so strange."

"I know," I replied.

"No matter how many times you've said it in the last week, I just still can't believe that we're actually having a baby. I love hearing you talk about it. For so long, I thought it was never going to happen, but here we are. I love my life right here in this moment, right now." He explained, his words flowing so beautifully off his tongue.

I let the words sink in. His last sentence took me back to the time on the roof before our second Hunger Games. When he told me he wanted to freeze that moment. I thought both of us could never be as happy as we were in that fraction of a second, forgetting about what was about to happen, and what had happened. Yet here we were again, completely blissfully united. I considered my next words carefully, not wanting to insult him or make a mistake after all the nice things he'd just said. I didn't want to taint the memory of this moment. I wasn't good with words like Peeta

"I never thought I'd be pregnant. I always wrote off having kids because of where we lived, and whom we were controlled by. I didn't want to bring someone else who had to suffer the way we all did, into this world." My voice was a little shaky and I couldn't figure out why.

I'd never really explained this to anyone before except for Gale that time on Reaping day. Even he didn't get it. And Peeta couldn't see at first why I was so opposed to having children. I think eventually he thought I would never change my mind, and that I was so scarred from the games and everything else, that I would never be able to emotionally handle the change.

Peeta didn't say anything, and I pulled away from him completely now so that I just lay beside him, staring into his eyes.

"But I couldn't imagine anything more perfect than this now. I didn't think I was ever going to be ready, but I don't think they'll ever be a time when I truly feel I am. It feels right now that it's happened. Everything feels right." I said, my voice sinking quieter as a small smile spread across my lips as he pulled me in for the long-awaited kiss. His tongue melted into my mouth and I instantly wanted more. He smoothed his fingers through my hair, pulling me closer, and I longingly responded, entwining myself into him. Suddenly a thought popped into my head. One I hadn't really considered until now. I pulled away again, and Peeta sighed at the loss of my lips on his. "Did you call the Doctor?"

"Yeah, we have an appointment with Doctor Kaye today at five. We are his last appointment of the day," Peeta exclaimed. There were only two in our district at the moment. There used to be a third, but she had left for a better job in District Four. Peeta must have told him about me being pregnant. We frequently get calls from the doctor to make sure we are doing all right from what happened in our past and all the trauma we went through. We don't go to the makeshift clinic because of all the times we have had to be in the hospital, we try to avoid them. But for this . . . we would have to go. I looked away from him, and down at my hands. He caught my chin in his hand and forced me to look at him.

"I promise you that everything is going to be okay."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We walk hand in hand into town. Our hospital should not even be considered a hospital. It is just couple rooms with a large waiting area. When we walk in, the door, it is empty but the receptionist at the front desk. She gives us paper work without even lifting her head. We sit down in the waiting area, and I look down at the clipboard, and feel my eyes well up with tears, but I hold them back and hand the clipboard to Peeta. I don't want to be here. Sitting here makes everything real. He looks me in the eyes and whispers everything is going to be okay. Peeta gets up and walks back to the receptionist, and hands her the unfinished paper work, and starts to walk back towards me with a huge grin.

"Excuse me!" The woman calls after Peeta, "You did not finish filling out the paperwork . . . Mrs." She started to say as she was looking for the name, "Mellark" she says under her breath, but just loud enough for us to hear. Her eyes practically pop out of her head when she puts it together. She quickly apologizes and walks into the back to where the doctor offices are.

After that everything happens quickly. We are taken back by Doctor Kaye, and are told to sit on the table. I sit on the table and Peeta sits on the chair on the side, and holds my hand. I look around the room; it is white on white with a florescent light hanging above us. I don't say anything because I know if I open my mouth to talk, I would start to cry. Peeta probably doesn't say anything because he knows how nervous I am.

"Peeta," I say and he turns his big blue eyes towards me.

"Katniss honey. It's okay," He says standing up whipping away the few tears the escaped.

"I can't do this," I say and more tears stain my cheeks.

"Yes, you can. You're the most brave person I know. You can do anything. Everything is going to be okay," He kisses my forehead at his last word.

"Not this," I say as I slide down the table onto my feet. Peeta grabs me and wraps his arms around me. I realize that I am shaking when she says soothing words into my ear. The door opens, and we break away to see Doctor Kaye standing in the room. He instructs me to sit on the bed again so he can have a look at my vitals. This time Peeta sits with me and holds me as doctor Kaye gets his stethoscope ready.

"So, how have these last two weeks been since I spoke to Peeta. Any symptoms starting?" He questioned, while taking my blood pressure.

The weeks didn't sound that long in the big picture, but when Dr. Kaye asked about them, they felt like each day dragged on. I wondered if I should tell him about the morning sickness. Didn't everyone just get that? It surely wasn't worth bringing up to make a fuss over, not in front of Peeta anyway. He'd already stayed home from the bakery three times this week because I couldn't keep anything down and was running back and forth to the toilet to vomit every hour, and on each occasion he would grit his teeth and try to stay strong for me. I could see how much it pained him to watch me heave repeatedly over the toilet, because of something he, initially, wanted.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Nothing out of the ordinary. I feel fine." I said, hoping he would buy it. I had bigger problems on my mind currently than the sickness that frequently took over. But of course, Peeta saw right through me.

"Katniss you don't have to lie to him, he's your doctor. You need to tell him everything." He said softly and nudged my arm in a gentle way. Why was Peeta always the one who had to do the right thing all the time?

The doctor stared at me, waiting for an answer.

"Well, actually, I've just been having a little nausea. But it's really not a big deal. It comes and goes pretty quickly." I said as nonchalantly as I could. Doctor Kaye scribbled something down on the paper in front of him.

"How many times have you actually vomited Katniss, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked patiently. I could tell he was only looking at it from a medical point of view, so I just thought of my baby. Everything I did now would have to be for it, and that included being honest, and getting past my trust and hospital issues.

"I can't really remember. It hasn't been that many." I shrugged before Peeta cut in again.

"Twelve. All at different times of the day but always every morning."

"It must be affecting your appetite Katniss. What foods can you keep down? The doctor questioned, keeping his gaze on me so that I would know that **I **had to be the one to answer, not Peeta.

"Nothing," I said as quietly as possible.

"I need to get you something for that. I will order it for you and you can come pick it up in two days. He gets up and writes the prescription and continues asking questions.

When he finishes the interrogation, and checking my vitals, he tells me to lay down. Peeta gets up and holds my hand next to me. Doctor Kaye asks me to pulls my shirt up to just above my bellybutton, and unbuttons my jeans. He puts cold jelly on my belly.

"This won't hurt, I just want to hear the baby's heart beat," Doctor Kaye says, "Unfortunately, I don't have more advance machines to look at the baby and do an ultrasound. This in my hand is called a Doppler. It will only allow us to hear the heartbeat. Don't be alarmed when it sounds very fast. It is supposed to sound like that." I look onto Peeta's eyes and see him looking at me with a huge smile. I know he is excited to hear it.

The room fills with a louds fast thumping sound. "That's your baby's heartbeat," He says. I looked back up to Peeta to see his eyes fill with water. He reaches to my face and wipes away my tears. I didn't even know I was crying until I see his hands wet with my tears. "It looks like you are about seven weeks pregnant," Doctor Kaye says and wipes the jelly off my belly.

"Okay Katniss, with that aside, I'd like to do a blood test today, that way I can send off the sample and have it back to you in a few days. Just to check the regular things like iron levels and so on. Is that okay?" He looked up at me over the top of his glasses for approval, but I did not give him any. I felt Peeta's hand close over my knee. Peeta knew what I was thinking, and my heart had been sent off into a panic.

Ever since all those times back in the hospital on various drips and being sedated on numerous occasions, I'd developed a complete phobia of them. To me, needles represented a means of control, a way of luring me into the awful blinding darkness that suffocated my soul. Needles meant reliving the past. I felt a lump rise in my throat and looked at Peeta. I knew what he would be saying if we weren't in the company of the doctor right now. "_If I could take your place, I would go through it for you."_

I shook my head.

"Katniss, this needs to be done, I need to make sure your healthy," Doctor Kaye said in as sweet of a voice as possible. Obviously trying to make my confortable.

"I-I-" I stuttered. That's when it hit me. My sister Prim was never going to see my baby. She is the only person who mattered in my life when I was younger. She was my only family besides my dad. My mother never cared about her so it was up to me to take care of her. That's when I heard it. Her screams. The filled the tiny white room, but when I looked up I did not see the florescent light above me, I saw a huge jabberjay perched on the light. It was the same bird that was in the 3rd quarter quell. I immediately curl up into a ball with my knees up to my chest, and my arms around my head. I hear Peeta's voice, but it is to far way to reach. I lift my head, reaching towards my back to grab my bow to kill the jabberjay, but my bow is missing. The voice in the distance is getting closer, but I still don't know who the voice belongs to. I feel warm arms circle around me, and a slight pinch on my thigh. Everything becomes fuzzy, and the jabberjay above me disappears as I fall into a black abyss.

. . . .

I'm aware of low voices off in the distance. I slowly open my eyes to see that I am on a couch. The walls are green like the trees in the woods, and the floor is white tiling. I slowly sit up, and feel a bandage on the crook of my arm. I focus my eyes on the two people sitting at the desk in the center of the room. I try tugging the bandage off of my arm when Peeta pulls my hand away.

"Peeta, what happened?" I asked looking deep into his eyes. I try to remember the last thing that happens, and that's when it hits me; I had a flashback of being in the 3rd quarter quell. Peeta probably sensed my discomfort of being in the hospital, and sits next to me on the couch wrapping his arms around me.

"Dr. Kaye just took a little blood from you," he pauses but continues, "He said that we can go as soon as you feel up to walking." That's the best news of the day! I can finally go home, curl up in a ball in our bed and cry. I just have to hold it together till them for Peeta's sake.

Peeta helps me to my feel, and I feel a little lightheaded but tell Peeta I'm fine. I don't want anything to stop us from getting home. As we near the exit, Dr. Kaye asks me if I'm okay, I lie and tell him yes and walk out, pulling Peeta with me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As soon as we got home, the tears stated flowing out of my eyes. Peeta looks at me with sympathetic and worried eyes, but I ignore him. For some reason I don't want to talk to him, or even look at him. I run up the stairs, put my pajama bottoms on, and crawl into bed letting my tears get the best of me. I cry until I have no tears left.

I look at the clock. It read 5:30. I hear the bedroom door open, and Peeta appears. He comes over to me, kisses my forehead, and says, "Haymitch is coming over for dinner," in a flat monotone voice. I don't answer, unable to find my voice, and Peeta walks out. This makes the tears come back. I hate to see Peeta in pain, and I hate myself for putting Peeta in pain. Normally, I would go downstairs and apologize, but this time it is different. This time my pain will not go away.

I pull myself together at the sound of Peeta opening the door signaling that Hymitch has arrived for dinner. I should go downstairs and greet him, but I can't bring my feet passed the doorframe. Instead I sit leaning against the open door listening to Peeta and Haymitch.

"Where's Katniss?" Haymitch asks Peeta from the kitchen.

"Upstairs," Peeta answers in the same monotone voice as before.

I hear muffled conversation for a couple of minutes until Peeta says; "We went to the doctor's today." Why is he telling Hymitch this! I don't want him to know now. It's to soon to tell people. I mean he is like a father to me and Peeta, but still Peeta has no right to tell him!

I start to stand up when I hear Haymitch say, or rather shout "Why did you go?!" Peeta must have not answered the question because it sounds like Haymitch is getting frustrated. "Did you go for you, or for her," he continues in a much softer tone.

"Her," Peeta answers.

"Is she okay?"

"Just lay off the jokes tonight. Okay?"

"Alright, only if you tell me why you took her to the damn Doctor!" Haymitch is getting frustrated again.

"I can't," Peeta starts. I listen closely to hear the rest of the conversation, but I can't make out anything else. A couple of minutes pass, and I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. I quickly jump up and slide into bed burying my face in between Peeta's pillow and mine. I hear the footsteps come closer and closer to the bed. The side of the bed starts to sink, and a strong warm hand starts to rub my back. I can tell these hands anywhere, they belong to Peeta.

"Dinner's ready," Peeta says. There is a long pause, and I turn to face him.

"What are we having?" The thought of food makes me sick to my stomach.

"Spaghetti and meatballs," Peeta says looking into my eyes, reading me like an open book because he continues, "I took out some spaghetti for you to have before I poured the sauce."

I gave him a small smile. He knows me to well.

"Do you want butter or salt on it?"

"Butter," I say as I sit up, and get out of bed. I'm about to tell him about what I heard him talking to Haymitch about, but I stop myself because it probably was not a good idea to tell him I was eavesdropping when I simply could have walked downstairs and joined the conversation. "I will be right down," I say as I walk into the bathroom. I hear Peeta head downstairs. I collect my thought, and walk down the stairs.

"How nice of you to join us Sweetheart," Haymitch says as I enter the kitchen. I see Peeta glare at him. I sit in my normal seat at the head of the table, and ignore Haymitch's remark, but I smell a hint of alcohol on his breath. Peeta brings the spaghetti and meatballs over to the table, and fills up our glasses with water. Normally he would offer Haymitch some wine but today he knew better. He places a plate of plain spaghetti with no meatballs in front of me. I see Haymitch look at Peeta with questioning eyes. I pick up my fork and start eating. Peeta and Haymitch hold a short conversation that I don't participate in. I just focus on eating. Until Haymitch says, "I didn't see you leave to go hunting today. Did you help out at the Bakery?"

"No," is all I replied. I feel Peeta looking at me, but I ignore it and start to push my food around on my plate making it look like I am eating.

"Peeta said that you went to the Doctor today," Haymitch finishes before Peeta was able to cut in and stop him. I just look up from my plate and stare at him. "Is that true?" Haymitch continued to ask.

I could feel the tears build up inside, but I just pushed them back and said yes. A couple of minutes pass and Peeta realizes that I stopped eating and I am pushing it around on my plate.

"Katniss," Peeta starts in a soft tone, "Please eat more." I can't get anything passed him.

"I'm not hungry," I say looking down at my plate. After about a minute of silence, I feel the tears coming back, and this time I couldn't push them away. I push my plate towards the middle of the table and stand up, wanting to get out before the waterfall started.

"Enough bullshit. What happened? What did the doctor say? Katniss," Haymitch says slamming his fork down on the table, his eyes not leaving me. I feel Peeta grab my hand from his seat, not letting me leave.

"Tell him, Katniss," There is a pause, and I feel Peeta squeeze my hand. I turn to look at him. His blue eyes telling me to listen to him, "If you don't tell him . . . I will." I can tell that he is serious. I turn to face Haymitch.

"I'm . . . umm . . ." I start. I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Haymitch's eyes flicker to Peeta but then again stops on me. "I'm . . . Pregnant," I whisper, and run out the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I don't stop running until I reach the last house in the Victors Village. I slump over behind a tree and cry. My cries turn to screams, my body shakes. I tell myself to calm down, but every time I say it, I end up crying harder. I hear footsteps coming closer, "Go away-y, Peeta-a," I says barely audible through my sobs. I can't face him right now.

"It's me Sweetheart, let's talk," Haymitch says.

"I don't want to talk to you!" I shout getting up to face him.

"Well I hate to break it to you but you need to talk . . . Why are you acting like this?"

"Go away," I whisper to the ground.

"Katniss, please tell me," Haymitch says in a more calming voice.

"I can't do this Haymitch."

"Yes you can. Peeta is going to be here through out the whole thing and I will too."

"You don't understand!"

"Then help me to, Katniss."

I pause for a moment then say, "What if I lose the baby!"

"I won't let that happen," Haymitch says while rubbing my back. "And I'm certain Peeta won't let it happen either." This calms me down a little but I'm still crying.

"I don't want a child, Haymitch."

He pauses for a minute then says, "I know."

I look up at him into his eyes and say, "I will fail this child like I failed-," my voice drops to a whisper, "Like I failed Prim." I see Haymitch look down but then back at my eyes. It is hard even 15 years later to say her name.

"You will be a great mother Katniss. You practically raised her."

"I know but-," Haymitch cuts me off and says, "Do it for Peeta."

"I can't Haymitch."

"Why do you keep saying that Katniss! What do you want Peeta to do? Do you want to kill your child so you don't have to be pregnant? Huh, is that what you want to do?"

This made me cry harder. I don't want to kill my child. How could he even say that! I want to do everything I can to keep this child alive. "I'm scared," I whisper. I look into his eyes and say, "I'm scared Haymitch." He pulls me into his arms and tries to calm me down, unsuccessfully. "I never imagined I would ever be pregnant."

"I know-," Haymitch starts, but I cut him off and say, "Where's Peeta."

Haymitch pauses for a moment, smiles and says, "He's worried about you." I looked passed Haymitch expecting to see Peeta listening to our conversation. To my surprise, he wasn't there. "Lets go back," Haymitch offers. We walk back to our houses. I open the door to see Peeta washing the dishes. He immediately comes to the door, and I collapse into his arms.

"I'm sorry Peeta, I'm so sorry," I say through my sobs. It wasn't until we were upstairs that I notice Haymitch left.

That night Peeta held me while I cried myself to sleep. He kept saying its okay and that he loved me no matter what. That night I realized how lucky I was to have Peeta. He is my rock, and would do anything for me. So I promised myself that I would do this for him, to give Peeta what he always wanted; a child. He deserved it. I always knew that Peeta would one day have children, but I never thought it would be my child too.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next few days Peeta stayed home from the bakery to be with me. He watched me closely, always making sure I was okay, and waiting for me to break down crying at any moment, but I didn't. I stayed strong. I told myself this was for Peeta the love of my life. I did not go hunting to keep Peeta's mind at rest but after a couple of days I had to get back out.

Peeta woke up early, and I did too. We took a shower. He got dressed and I put on my hunting clothes with my father's jacket over. I walked with Peeta to the bakery, and left from there to go into the woods. The electrical fence was replaced with a white picketed fence a year after the end of the rebellion. On our first anniversary, Peeta built a gate in the picketed fence exactly where Gale and I would go into the woods. I sat down on the same rock Gale and I would always meet at. I decided to just enjoy the woods and clear my head for a few hours. After about a half hour of sitting, I decided to hunt. In no time I had 3 squirrels and 2 rabbits. On my way towards the gate, I saw a yellow Primrose. I picked it and started to head home. When I got home, put the primrose in a vase on the coffee table in the living room. I took of my father's hunting jacket, and put away my bow in the closet. I sat down on the couch and untied my boots. I didn't realize how tired I was until I was sitting on the couch. I decided to take a nap because Peeta was not going to be home for another two hours.

. . . .

My nap was peaceful. It was not invaded by any nightmares. I smell food cooking, and immediately open my eyes. I start to sit up when I see Peeta walking towards me. "How long have you been home?" I asked.

"45 minutes or so," Peeta answers while sitting next to me on the couch. He moved my head so it was resting in his lap.

"I've been sleeping for 3 hours!" I say in disbelief. I try to get up, but Peeta just pushes my shoulders down. He starts to play with my hair. How was I that tired? I slept through the whole night last night without even having a nightmare. "I can't believe I slept for that long, Peeta," I say looking into his eyes.

"You must have been tired. Also Dr. Kaye did mention something about you sleeping more."

"Yeah, I guess your right." Peeta continues to play with my hair. I just stare at his blue eyes until I feel my eyelids get heavy again.

The next thing I heard was the door open and a loud Haymitch walk into the living room. I keep my eyes closed.

"When is dinner going to be ready? I'm starving," Haymitch says obviously not noticing that I am sleeping.

"It's ready. We can eat when Katniss wakes up," Peeta says probably gesturing to me.

"Since when is she so tired? All she did was go hunting and when she got home, she never went back out." There was a pause, which probably meant Haymitch figured out why I was so tired. I feel Peeta stand up from the couch and walk into the kitchen with Haymitch. After about five minutes, I hear my stomach growling. So I stand up and walk into the kitchen. "Smells delicious Peeta!" I said as I sat down at the table.

"Let's eat," Peeta says while taking the tinfoil off of the roasted chicken and potatoes.

The conversation at dinner was about nothing in particular. By the time Peeta and I had cleaned up all the dishes, I was exhausted. So we went upstairs and I fell asleep in Peeta's arms.

_I'm running down a dark hallway, trying to reach the end. There are numbers on the door, and they are all locked. At the end, I see the door cracked open a little. I open it and the sounds of cries flood my ears. I panic, and frantically search for the source of the cries. I turn over the bed in the center of the room, and throw the desk to my side. I find a brown cardboard box with bloodstains oozing out. I peer over the top and the cries become louder. I realize then that they are the cries of a baby. I focus my eyes on the bottom of the box to see the baby when I hear his voice behind me. "I thought we agreed we would not lie to each other Mrs. Everdeen," I turn around to see President Snow aiming my bow at me. Loaded. "Step aside silly girl and let me finish off the child. _

"_NO!" I screamed, but I was too late. The cries instantly stopped. I knew I had failed to keep this baby alive. I knew that I was supposed to protect it. I fall onto the floor and sob while President Snow laughs and coughs up blood. I hear my name being called somewhere off in the distance. I stand up and run passed President Snow towards the voice. That's when I realize whose voice it was. Peeta. I start to run back down the dark hallway when I trip and fall._

"Katniss. It's just a dream. I'm here," Peeta says in a soothing voice. I slowly regain consciousness. I realize I am crying and sweating. "Katniss, It's okay. I love you." Peeta just sits there and holds me while I stain his shirt with my tears that are perfuseively coming down. When I can't cry anymore Peeta says, "Do you want to talk about?" So I tell him everything. I tell him that I failed to keep the baby alive, and that I am going to fail our child.

"Katniss honey. You are going to be an amazing mother," Peeta says cupping my face in his hands so I look into his ocean blue eyes. "Nothing is going to happen to our child. I promise. I won't let anything hurt you or our child, ever." With that I feel my eye lids begin to close and sleep takes over me.

That morning, I wake up to the sound of the shower water turning off. When Peeta walks out of the bathroom, he walks over to me. "Did I wake you up?" He asks while kissing my forehead.

"No," Is all I say as I stand up and make a b-line for the bathroom and lose all my dinner from the night before. Peeta is right on my heals, and holds my hair. When I have absolute nothing left in my stomach, I stand up take a shower and head to the bakery with Peeta. We walk hand in hand all the way there. I help at the cash register because I'm hopeless with baking.

At about noon, I start to feel the sleepless night catch up to me. Peeta tells me to go home and take a nap. So I leave. Peeta tells me that he is going to pick up the morning sickness pills on his way home because Dr. Kaye called saying they were ready.

When I got home, I went straight to the couch, turned on the T.V and fell asleep. I heard the door open and close, and Peeta walked right towards me. His face expression looked like something was bothering him. He lightly touched his lips to mine and walked into the kitchen. I followed him. "Peeta, what's wrong?" I say grabbing his hand. He looks into my eyes and I can see that something is seriously bothering him. "Peeta," I pleaded trying to figure out what happened. "Did something happen at the bakery?" He still did not answer me. He just placed the bag of medicine on the table and started to take out soup from the refrigerator.

Finally he said, "I'll be right back. I'm just need to talk to Haymitch for a minute." He sits me down at the table and places a bowl of soup that he just heated in front of me.

"Peeta . . . what's wrong? Please tell me," I plead looking into his eyes for answers.

"Eat," he places a spoon next to me, "I will be right back." And with that he was gone. I was left alone at the table with just my thoughts. What had happened to Peeta? It was the only thing going through my head. Why was he not telling me what's wrong? He tells me everything. It must be serious if he needed Haymitch over me. I am his wife. I finished my bowl of soup and decided that I needed to see what was happening. Peeta never keeps secrets from me.

I walked right up to Haymitch's house, and pushed the door open. The only light that was on was the kitchen. I tipped toed towards the light. They were sitting at the kitchen table, and it looked like they were in a deep conversation. I tried to listen but I hear Haymitch say, "Come in Sweetheart. I know you and over there." How did he know? I walk into the kitchen, and they both are just staring at me.

"Come sit down," Peeta says patting the seat next to him.

"Peeta, tell me what's wrong!" I say starting to get annoyed. I see Peeta's eyes look at Haymitch and he nods in response.

"I went to Dr. Kaye today to pick up the medicine . . ." Peeta started, "And he told me," The next words he said very slowly, "That we should go to District 4 for all of our future doctors appointments because they have better technology." All I could do was stare at Peeta. "Dr. Kaye said that since your body has been through so much when you were young, you being pregnant is high-risk." I shook my head at this. I knew me getting pregnant was a bad idea. Peeta waited another minute then continues, "I made an appointment for Saturday with Dr. Cassio. She specializes in high-risk pregnancies. District 4 has the best hospital in all of Panem," Peeta finishes in a soft tone. I to to comprehend everything that Peeta just said. We have never left district 12 since leaving for the 3rd quarter quell. I never thought we would have too. We always get phone calls to do interviews in the capitol, and are always invited to the ceremonies of our victory. We are asked to speak at schools, and are also asked to go to the arenas on the day the reapings used to take place. We always refuse. We have done a couple of interviews from district 12 around the time when we got married. So far in the past month two of the most shocking things happened. I'm pregnant, and I have to leave District 12 because I'm pregnant. I am lost in my thoughts when I hear Haymitch get up to get a drink, which pulls me back into reality. When he sits back down, I am hit with the smell of alcohol. On a normal day, I would be okay with it, but the smell is making me nauseous today. I get up abruptly, and Peeta says my name. I feel myself become more and more nauseous.

_I have to get out of here_, I tell myself. I stumble towards the door wanting to leave, but the feeling of being sick takes over. I run as fast as I can towards the bathroom, which is exactly where ours is because every house in the Victors Village is the same design. I feel Peeta's cool hands pull my hair away from my face. When I finish, Peeta hands me a glass of water and wipes my face. Haymitch probably would laugh at me for being so week but right now he know that if he laughed I would either rip his head off or send an arrow through it. When I finish the glass of water I stand up walk over to the kitchen with Peeta trailing behind me, and say in a flat monotone voice, "When do we leave." I notice that the white alcohol is not on the table anymore, and I am thankful. I turn to face Peeta waiting for an answer.

He simply says, "Tomorrow afternoon right before dinner." With that, I head to the front door to leave.

Just before I grab the doorknob, Haymitch says, "Well, she handled that well," Probably not realizing I was not out of earshot yet. I heard him slam the bottle down on the table indicating that he finished it. Peeta probably just glared at him, but I left before I could hear his response.

I head up the stairs to our bedroom, and hear Peeta trailing behind me. We don't say much. We get into bed, and just as I am about I fall asleep, I hear Peeta say, "I know you don't want to go to District 4-"

I cut Peeta off, "What if we see my mom?"

"I doubt we'll see her. The hospital is huge!" Peeta says wrapping his arms around me. "Don't worry. I will be there every minute, and so will Haymitch."

"Really?" I questioned. I mean I want Haymitch to come but I did not think he would want to because he too has never left District 12 since the 3rd quarter quell with us.

"Yeah, he insisted, and I thought it was a good idea. Unless you don't want him to come."

"No. I want him there. He's family, or as close to family as we can get."

"I love you Katniss."

"I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread. I walk downstairs into the kitchen and see Peeta hard at work kneading dough. This is Peeta's way of coping with the fact that in a few hours we have to get on a train for the first time in 15 years. I decide to go hunting just to clear my head and get my mind off of things.

"I'll come with you," Peeta says taking the first batch of bread out of the oven.

"I can go myself," I answer. Peeta does not like the idea of me going hunting while pregnant, but I still go anyways.

He grabs my chin so I am forced to look into his eyes. He plants a kiss on my lips and says, "Come back soon. I will have lunch ready, and please be carful."

"Always. I love you," I say as I put my boots on and sling my bow over my shoulder.

"Give this to Haymitch before you go." He hands me a water bottle and a container of eggs and bacon. I'm guessing Haymitch finished multiple bottles of white liquor last night.

I walk up to Haymitch's house and knock on the door. When I hear no answer, I walk in. The smell hits me, and I breath through my mouth to keep my breakfast down. I find him sitting in the same seat from last night, passed out with his knife in his hand surrounded by empty bottles. On a normal day I probably would yell at him for being so drunk, but today I ignore it. We all have our own ways of dealing with the past. I hunt, Peeta bakes and Haymitch drinks. It's what we do to cope.

Instead of pouring a bucket of water on him, I let him sleep. I place the water bottle and container next to him with a fork from the draw and walk out the door. I head towards the fence that leads into the woods. People wave to me as I pass, and I try not to notice them. I just stare down at my feet. When I reach the fence, I start to jog all the way to the rock where Gale and I used to sit. As I approach the rock, I am so out of breath. Normally I can make it to the lake without stopping for a break, which is about a mile and a half away. The rock is only about a mile from the fence. The doctor was right. I did not believe him, but now I do. I am pulled back to my senses when I see a squirrel scurrying up a tree. I pull my bow back with a loaded arrow and shoot the squirrel right in the eye.

_At least I can still shoot straight_, I say to myself. That will probably be the only thing that won't change with me being pregnant. I was never really good with change, and I don't expect anything different with this situation. I feel the tears slide down my cheeks. I try not to cry in front of Peeta because he always gets really worried when he sees me upset. Here in the woods, I know it is safe to cry, so I let the cries take over my body. I don't know how Peeta expects me to do this. I can barely take care of myself! But there is no turning back now . . .

After what feels life forever, I turn my attention back to the woods and shoot a couple of rabbits and squirrels, and try to calm myself down. I start to head back towards the fence as slow as possible. I look down at my boots again, lost in my thought when all of a sudden I walk into something. I look up expecting to see a wall of something, but I see Hazelle.

"Katniss," She says in a cheerful voice, "how are you?" I think back to the last time I have saw Hazelle, I didn't even know I was pregnant!

I put on the biggest smile, and try to sound happy, "I'm good. How have you been? It's been so long since we have seen each other."

"I've been good. Why don't you come over for lunch tomorrow."

"I would love to, but . . . um, I- Peeta and I are spending the day with Haymitch." I hope she bought the lie.

"Katniss, is everything okay?" Hazelle asks.

I look down and say, "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" She said as her eyes examine me.

"Yeah," I mutter crossing my arms over my stomach. I see Hazelle look around, checking to see who is near us. A couple of minute pass in silence, and I try not to look at her. I focus my eyes on the Victor's Village gate in the distance.

"Your pregnant," She says simply as her face breaks out into a smile. Its weird hearing someone else say it besides Peeta and Haymitch. It makes everything more real. I look into her eyes to see her staring at me, wanting to know more. I don't know what to say.

I just tighten my arms around my stomach and nodded.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. Peeta must be thrilled!" She said pulling me into a hug.

"How many weeks are you?"

"Ten weeks," I said looking back towards the Victor's Village.

"Is everything okay?" Hazelle asks again.

"It's . . . just a lot to take in."

"I'm sure. How long ago did you find out?"

"About two and a half weeks ago."

"How wonderful. I better be going now. Your secret is safe with me. And please tell Peeta congratulations."

"I will. It was nice seeing."

"I will call you next week and we can have lunch."

"Okay," I say as I start to walk away, "bye!" I call to her, and she waves to me. As I get closer to the Victor's Village, I walk slower and slower. Just as I am about to walk up to our house I remember I never woke Haymitch up.

I open his door and hear his snores in the distance. I walk right into the kitchen and see he hasn't even budged. I open his cabinets to find a pitcher and fill it up with ice and water. He is not going to like this so I take is knife from his hand and step back. I splash the entire pitcher all over his right side.

"What the hell was the for!" Haymitch screams as he stands up regaining consciousness and looking around to find the source of what woke him. "Go home Sweetheart. Your not wanted here."

"We're leaving soon, so pack and take a shower." I said back ignoring his request. I push the container of food and water bottle closer to him.

"Thanks," He says digging his fork in the eggs.

"Thank Peeta. If it were up to me you would still be passed out."

"You really are a charming person in the morning."

"It's twelve o'clock Haymitch," I say pointing to the clock hanging on the wall.

"It must be your hormones or something," Haymitch mumbles to his eggs.

"What did you say?" I question as I slam the pitcher on the table unable to believe what he just said to me.

"Nothing, nothing"

"I thought so," We lock eyes and neither of us look away until the front door opens and Peeta walks into the Kitchen.

"What's happening here?" He questions as he sees our death stare. I feel Peeta place a hand on my shoulder giving me a small tug to walk away. "I heard a loud bang, and came to see what happened? And . . . why are you wet?" He directed his question to Haymitch.

"Your lovely wife over there threw a bucket of ice water on me." Peeta looks from Haymitch to me trying to figure out what happened. He gives up and takes my hand and leads me back to our house.


End file.
